Dean Baldwin
Bar Piano, 2012 - 2019
Installation View Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, Hart House, Toronto
Commissioned by the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, Hart House, Toronto
Private Collection, Magog Quebec
Materials
Reconditioned Baby Grand Piano, vintage cloth wrapped electrical porcelain lighting, wax faux candle fixtures with flicker bulbs, ipod Nano with play list featuring only tracks for solo piano, TDK Speaker Boombox, brass nautical bell, antique Hendryx brass birdcage (canary optional), brass glass hanging rails, various brass hardware, gold foil duct tape, gold Bodum french coffee press, pepper grinder, champagne & ice buckets, assorted barware, vintage swizzle sticks, various cutting boards, vintage cutlery, knives, custom letterpress coasters and a full compliment of unique glass stemware.
In Bar Piano, Dean Baldwin has transformed a baby grand piano into a participatory public art installation that playfully transposes the ambience of the classic Piano Bar. Initially commissioned by the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, Hart House, Bar Piano is the continuum of a series installations that Baldwin developed with curator Barbara Fischer for Hart House’s Nuit Blanche over a 4 year period. Since the inaugural presentation at Hart House, Bar Piano was exhibited at numerous galleries including DHC/Art Foundation for Contemporary Art, Plug-In ICA, and Mercer Union, before finding home in a private collection.
APD assisted Baldwin with reconditioning the work before it was installed in private collection.
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